Brazilian Currency Gets Brief Central-Bank Lift but Rally Wanes

RIO DE JANEIRO—Tough remarks about inflation by Brazil's central-bank president gave a brief lift to the country's currency and the price of protecting against higher interest rates.

Brazilian central-bank President Alexandre Tombini said in a weekend interview with The Wall Street Journal that the central bank's first priority is to tame inflation, rather than foster growth. With inflation hitting an annualized 6.2% in mid-February,...